They All Lived Story 46: Cruising
by LadyWordsmith
Summary: Life isn't always dramatic, but it still goes on. Even when home is peaceful, the Elrics and friends have plenty to do and learn about life.
1. Chapter 1

**September 21****st****, 1966**

Ethan watched with a feeling of fond warmth as Lia finished changing Eamon's diaper. Her golden hair glistened, freshly washed and still just slightly damp, and even in comfortable knit pants and a simple top – today in different shades of lavender – her curves made him want to find a way to get a little time alone with her.

"There we go, handsome," Lia giggled as she picked up their son and kissed his cheek. "All done. Now you and your sister can have a nice big breakfast!"

The nine-month-old boy giggled, and in Ethan's arms, Lily laughed with her brother.

"You know, there was a time I'd be jealous if you called any other guy handsome." Ethan leaned over and kissed his wife. "But I guess I can make an exception in this one instance."

"It's only because he looks so much like you," Lia teased, leaning back against his shoulder. "I can't believe how fast they're growing."

"Maybe they'll get taller than me," Ethan chuckled. He could hope right? Chances weren't good for Eamon being much taller than him, but Lia's father was, so it was a possibility. "You ready for breakfast?"

"Famished," Lia rolled her eyes as she headed for the door. "I'll be so glad when they're weaned!"

"It's coming," Ethan promised, trying hard not to laugh. They had started supplementing milk with baby food already, and that helped. It also meant Ethan got to be part of the feeding process, which he rather enjoyed. "Though I'm going to miss it I think."

"You?" Lia looked back at him. "You're not the one who has to deal with having milk vacuumed out of your chest."

Ethan stifled another laugh. Laughing would just get him in trouble. "Yeah, but I like the other things it's done for you in that area."

"You're impossible." Lia shook her head and kept walking.

Ethan followed her downstairs, the smell of breakfast hitting his nose on the stairs; sweet rolls, bacon, eggs…. "Wow it smells like a feast down here!"

His mother and father were both at the table. Dad was reading the paper, Mom was laying out what was truly a lavish breakfast spread. She smiled when they came down. "Well it looks like the whole family is finally up."

"Smells heavenly," Lia added appreciatively.

"Well you didn't think I could let today go by without something special," Winry chuckled. "Happy Anniversary you two."

Ethan grinned. He should have expected something; he just hadn't really thought there would be a special breakfast in honor of the fact. It certainly hadn't been discussed much with everything going on lately. "Thanks, Mom."

"Got anything special planned?" Ed asked, grinning over his morning cup of coffee. "Four years isn't something to sniff at."

"Still deciding," Ethan admitted as he settled Lily into her highchair as Lia did the same with Eamon. "If the weather's good we thought we might take the kids to the zoo."

"Well that sounds like fun," Winry smiled. "Though I think your father means, did you want to do anything just the two of you? We're happy to watch Eamon and Lily for a few hours."

"Really? That's great!" Ethan was looking forward to a trip with the kids, but the idea of a few child-free hours, just the two of them… "Do you remember how to be childless?" he looked at his wife.

"Maybe," she giggled as she picked up the warm bowl of baby oatmeal and spooned some up, holding it out to Lily, who happily took the bite. "I'm sure it'll come back to us."

"I'm sure you'll come up with a romantic way to spend the evening," Winry chuckled.

"Yeah," Ethan laughed, taking up Eamon's breakfast. "Though isn't that how we ended up parents in the first place?"

His Dad snickered, but Lia rolled her eyes. "Oh was it?" she asked. "I thought that had something to do with you missing me for a year and a half."

"How about you two have that conversation someplace romantic and private?" Ed laughed.

"Nah," Ethan grinned. "It's safer this way."

"So you seem to think," Lia retorted. "I wouldn't make any bets on that."

"Depends on the outcome you want." He grinned as he watched Lia's face flush. Ethan knew it would be a bit longer before they wanted to try for any more kids – especially with the two adorable little handfuls they already had! – but he considered the _private_ argument much more dangerous in that respect!

"Depends," Lia smiled a little too softly; the way she did when Ethan knew to tread lightly. "How badly do you want to live to see our _fifth_ anniversary?"

* * *

The trip to the zoo with the twins turned out to be as enjoyable as Lia hoped it would be. Even as small as they were, the kids were excited by all the different shapes and types of animals. They laughed at monkeys, giggled at seals, and stared with interest and possibly awe at lions. Lily seemed to like birds, while Eamon didn't want to leave the wolves.

"Maybe they remind him of Daia and Pir," Ethan chuckled.

The day turned overcast near the end of the trip, and Lia was just grateful to make it back to the house without the whole family getting rained on.

"Oh I'll put them to bed," Winry insisted when they got in the door. "You two should get ready and go out and enjoy yourselves!"

Lia was perfectly happy to take a quick shower. Then, while Ethan was taking his turn, she had to try to decide what to wear. She wasn't even entirely sure where they were going! Finally, she settled on a simple blue dress that fell to just below the knees. It flowed loosely from below her midriff and she felt it was fairly flattering. She'd been going to aerobics classes with Alyse and Ren three times a week for a few months now, and finally she felt a little more like herself from before she got pregnant. Other than the rather noted difference in the size of her chest.

"You look… radiant."

Lia turned and saw Ethan standing in the bathroom doorway in nothing but a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. There was appreciation dancing in his eyes. She felt warm, and couldn't help giggling. "You used to be more bashful, you know."

"Well I'd like to think I've grown up since then," he replied with a rakish grin, but the pink on the tips of his ears and his cheeks gave him away.

Lia crossed the room and kissed him, hands resting lightly on his chest. "And how."

**September 24****th****, 1966**

It was funny how one of the reasons he'd left Cecilia was because of the lifestyle; too much drinking, too much smoking… and here he was, sitting alone in a bar having a drink and a smoke. At least tonight he wasn't stuck in Central. The mission out West had been a relief after months of missions that kept him too close to home.

Not that he minded Central, or the Elrics, but lately the entire city had made him feel almost claustrophobic. Ever since he broke it off with Cecilia there were uncomfortable moments if he ran into her friends in the store. He never ran into Cecilia herself, thank goodness.

Still, everyone's lives were going along just fine, and they had other people to occupy their time. Tore didn't blame them for having less time for him; good relationships took effort, and he'd rather see everyone else's marriages succeed. Marriage, family, kids… he couldn't help but feel jealous, just a little, for having missed out on them so far even though Tore knew he wasn't ready to settle down yet. He'd run from it hadn't he?

He'd thrown it away, thinking he and Cecilia couldn't have that. It wasn't really how they worked but… what if he'd been too hasty? Not that he could do anything about it now. Cecilia didn't want him back. She'd made that perfectly clear. And… when he was clear headed, he knew he didn't want her back either.

There were two girls he'd felt a spark with that he knew could be love…could be something more. At least, when he let himself think about it. He'd probably blown both chances there too. Charisa had a new beau… a serious one. Raul Valentino was everything she could have ever wanted that he wasn't. And he was there, in Creta, with Charisa. Then there was Noelle… but that had been barely a two week fling. He hadn't even written her after he met Cecilia. At least, not after the first time she'd gotten insanely jealous upon finding one of Noelle's letters. He'd stopped writing. By now, a beautiful, talented girl like Noelle would have figured out Tore wasn't reliable enough to wait for.

"You know you really need to stop looking so glum. It doesn't suit you."

"Hard not to I-" Wait who? Tore looked up into the face of the woman standing behind the counter. A very familiar, rather sexy smile, graced him. "Lilah!"

"Took you long enough," she chuckled. "What are you doing all the way out here? On a mission?"

Tore was glad the bar wasn't too busy. He nodded. "Yeah. Almost done actually. I have to head back to Central tomorrow night."

"You don't sound too happy about it." Lilah said, sounding genuinely concerned.

Tore shrugged. "Long story, old story. How've you been? New job?" They were a good bit south of the last town he'd known her to live in.

Lilah chuckled. "Yep, new line of work. I got on here when we came South during the war, and now I'm the regular evening bartender. It pays pretty well, and my sister likes it better that I'm not working at the old job anymore."

"How is she?" The last time Tore had seen Lilah and Cassidy, her sister had been severely mentally impaired for years.

"Much better," Lilah's smile widened. "One of the Alchemical doctors from Xing insisted on having a look at her, and whatever he did to her helped. She's not fully back to the way she was as a girl, but she's much better."

"I'm glad," Tore smiled, sipping his beer. "I'd love to get a chance to meet her… again I mean." This time maybe it would be more of a meeting.

"That'd be great," Lilah agreed. "You want to come by when I get off shift? We can catch up."

"Yeah, I'd like that." It was definitely better than spending the night alone, or shacked up in some strange girl's bed – cheaper than a hotel room. Somehow, the idea of asking to sleep with Lilah – especially considering her previous line of work and their history – seemed kind of strange. It was odd that asking a former professional whore to sleep with him would seem inappropriate. Maybe it was because her sister would be there or something.

"Great," Lilah nodded. "I've got another couple of hours, but Cassidy likes to wait up. So there's usually a snack or something waiting when I get home."

That sounded good too. Tonight, Tore would be grateful for a friend.

* * *

"It's hard to picture Cal married," Lilah chuckled. "But good for him! I'm glad he's happy," she said, sipping a cup of hot chocolate.

Tore, looking through steam of a cup of the same, grinned. "It's almost too sickeningly cute for words sometimes, but Alyse is good for him. She's got him well trained and almost domesticated."

"He sounds like a dog," Cassidy commented with a smile as she sipped her own cocoa from where she was curled up on the floor of the apartment wrapped in a warm quilt.

"Only a little," Tore admitted. "He's actually pretty much the same old Cal, without the need to find himself a girl."

"It's tough to find a woman who'll really appreciate a guy like him," Lilah agreed.

_She means like me too, _he realized. Except it seemed difficult to decide what that meant. Women loved his company… he just hadn't had much luck with anything resembling long term relationships.

"Well, I'm going to sleep," Cassidy stood, stretched, and smiled as she took her cup into the kitchen. "Good night, Tore. It was nice to see you again."

He watched her go. Cassidy was so innocent and sweet, even now. He was glad she was better. She might still act a little like a twelve-year-old in the innocence department, but at least her mind was catching up with her body.

"So, what's eating you?"

Tore looked over at Lilah, who had an expectant look on her face. He knew what she was asking. "I thought that was a bartender question," his mouth quirked in a wry smile.

"I'm doing some free overtime," Lilah smiled gently. "You looked like you'd swallowed something nasty earlier tonight. Though, knowing you, I'd say it had something more to do with a girl than a bad meal."

"I've had my share of both," Tore quipped, then winced. Oh yeah, that sounded good. He took a long sip of chocolate, and went ahead and told Lilah the story, from the first time Cecilia approached him for a threesome, to their rather wild nights, to the mistaken proposal and breaking it off before it was too late. What was in that hot chocolate anyway? He wasn't this forthcoming even when he was drunk!

"No offense, but she sounds like a bit of a nutcase," Lilah said when he finished. "I don't mean to be mean, but that girl has a lot of issues that have nothing to do with you. You're a nice guy, but I think that would have been a disaster of a relationship long term."

"Nice to know someone else agrees," Tore said. Edward and Lilah agreed on something… how about that! "I still feel guilty about it, even months later."

"It takes time," Lilah agreed as she yawned. "Man it's late. We should get some sleep," she said as she stretched, cracking her back.

Tore nodded and looked around. Lilah didn't have a couch, and it was only a two bedroom apartment. "Sounds good but…"

"You can have my bed," Lilah shrugged easily. "I'll bunk in with Cassidy." She took both of their cups and headed for the little kitchen.

"Lilah I…. this is going to sound strange," Tore blurted out. "But I ah… would you mind if we … shared the bed? Not did anything just…" Man he sounded like an idiot! Why had he asked her that?

She paused, then smiled. "Tired of sleeping alone?"

"It's been torture," Tore admitted. Not having someone in the bed with him still felt wrong now. He smiled sheepishly. Too late to take it back now. "I'm just tired of being by myself." He really didn't want sex tonight, just company.

"I think that'll be fine," Lilah agreed after a thoughtful moment. "Go ahead and get ready for bed. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Tore didn't argue. He went into the bedroom and stripped down to shorts. In a show of meaning what he said, Tore pulled on one of his military undershirts too.

True to form, Lilah's sleepwear was as un-representational of her past employment as anything else; a warm flannel nightgown that went all the way to her ankles. "Maybe I should've made you eat more," she chuckled when she came in. "You look a little thin."

Tore shrugged, ignoring the twinge of irritation he felt at the statement. He'd long ago learned that it was just her way. "I'm all right," he commented neutrally in reply.

"All right," she chuckled. "I'm sorry. I'm being a busybody aren't I?" She crossed the room and sat down on one side of the bed.

That was the signal Tore had been waiting for. A bed big enough for two, the woman always had a side preference. He sat down on the other one. "It's all right," he replied. "It's nice to know someone cares." Funny for it to be a woman he'd now seen three times in five years.

Lilah snuggled in under the faded blue quilt and stretched out, resting her head propped on one elbow as she looked at him. "Someone who isn't family?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Tore knew his friends and family cared, but at this point he kind of expected them to. Even Cal counted as family if he considered that Cal had married Tore's foster-parents' niece. That made him what…a foster-cousin-in-law? Or something confusing like that. Friend was good enough. He lay down and pulled the blanket over himself, giving her plenty of personal space on the bed. Just having another person there was comforting.

Lilah reached up and turned off the light.

Tore closed his eyes and slipped his hands behind his head. The bed was comfortable, and smelled like lemon scented detergent. Not like those too-clean crisp hotel sheets. He felt the bed shift as Lilah apparently got comfortable. He wasn't ready when someone warm sidled up against his side. "What the…?" He opened his eyes and in the dark could barely see her beside him.

"Sorry," she smiled. "My bed. I don't suppose you have a masculine aversion to cuddling?"

"Umm… no." He just hadn't expected it. "I just didn't think you were the cuddling type." He lowered one arm and let it slip around her flannel-sheathed narrow shoulders. She felt pretty good there; warm, female… uncomplicated.

**September 26****th****, 1966**

He couldn't wait! Jean felt like he was floating, and that the world was rushing a hundred miles a minute as he hurried down the street. And yet, it seemed to take an eternity to get there. He had to tell Noelle. She had to know. He... well he had to _get_ there first. He made himself slow down to avoid getting run over. Dying would kind of ruin the day.

Violetti's was Noelle's favorite restaurant, so he was grateful she had picked today's stop. It wasn't too far away either. Still, Jean was breathless when he arrived. He looked around, hoping to spot his girlfriend quickly.

"Jean!" Noelle called, waving from what had they had claimed as 'their' table. "You look like you hurried. Did you start out late?"

"No," Jean shook his head, grinning as he joined her and sat down. "I just... I have good news. And I couldn't wait to get here."

Noelle's smile was big as she reached across the table to take Jean's hand, "Well then, spill out the news! Don't just leave me hanging!"

"I'm being promoted." Jean couldn't help gushing. "I'm a First Lieutenant!"

"That's great!" Noelle nearly squealed, jumping out of her seat to give Jean a hug. "Congratulations."

Jean hugged her back tightly. "That's not all," he chuckled. "They've offered me a chance to transfer to Central Headquarters." That was where everyone wanted to end up, the fact that he had the chance was little short of a miracle, especially these days.

"Oh wow!" Noelle said, her jaw dropping open. She was speechless for several moments before blurting, "That's… that's great! I mean, that's what you've been wanting, right? You're going to accept, right?"

How could he pass up a line like that? "Only if... you'll accept me," Jean replied, taking both of her hands in his. "I want you to come with me, Noelle. I can't leave if it means leaving you behind. Come with me... please, be my wife?"

"Oh my gosh," Noelle whispered, completely taken by surprise at the question. "Are you… I mean… You would really choose me over Central?"

Jean's heart fluttered at the expression on her face. "Of course I would!" he exclaimed. "Noelle... there's nothing in my life I want more than to spend it with you."

Her eyes softened as she smiled, "I really want to spend mine with you as well."

Oh thank goodness. He could breathe now. Jean pulled her close and kissed her. "I love you, Noelle," he breathed as they parted.

"I love you, too," Noelle answered, before her face turned scarlet. "I never really answered you did I? Gosh, I'm so brainless, you ask me to be your wife and I leave you hanging!"

"So are you going to say yes?" Jean chuckled.

"Yes!" Noelle laughed, giving Jean a peck on the cheek.

"You just made me the happiest man in the world," Jean assured her. He was sure of that. How could the man to win Noelle's heart not be? "I'm sorry it's such short notice. They want me moved in... well, in the next month." That really wasn't a lot of time.

"They don't waste their time, do they?" Noelle said with a grin. She moved her chair closer to Jean and seated herself. "What are you wanting to do? Did you want me to stay up here and then come join you, or did you want me to… to come down with you? I could probably find somewhere to live in Central while we plan a wedding… Gosh, when did you want to get married? I haven't even thought about that!"

"I ah... hadn't thought that far," Jean admitted. "I want you to come with me but... I think if we eloped your parents and aunt and uncle would never forgive me." He blushed. "So, it's up to you. I want you to have the wedding you want."

Noelle chuckled at the thought of her family's reaction if she eloped, "You're probably right. Dad would get done with you and hand over whatever is left to Uncle for another round. I'd have to deal with Mom." She gave a comical grimace before turning serious. "I.. really don't know what I want right now. Is that bad?"

"No. I mean it is kind of sudden," Jean nodded. "We just have to decide soon if we're getting married now, before we leave Buzcoul... or if you want to get married in Central."

"What would you prefer? Other than to just get the marrying part over with," Noelle teased, her eyes dancing.

"No fair," Jean shook his head. "I asked you first."

Noelle looked down at her hands in her lap for several moments before answering, "I know what I've dreamed about for a wedding since I was little, but that will take time to plan and it seems unfair to make you wait longer. I already feel like I've made you wait longer than anyone should wait. And… and, it'll be your wedding too, so you should have some sort of say for what happens. I'm perfectly all right with something different than what I dreamed about growing up as long as we get married." She looked back to Jean with a smile, "I hope I'm making sense and not just babbling senselessly."

"Can you be both?" Jean chuckled. "Look, if what you want takes planning, I'm fine with that. So we move to Central, and you plan whatever you want, and when it's ready we'll get married. I'm sure we can find a place to live and... if you insist, I'll live on the couch and you can have the bedroom until it's official." Much as he'd be quite happy to just start sharing a bed, he wasn't going to suggest it.

Color rose to Noelle's cheeks as she smiled and looked to Jean, "Sounds like you have things figured out. Then again, you've had a little more time to think about this. I've got so much running though my mind right now it's hard to grab onto one thing."

"I've had the run over here," Jean laughed, feeling a little silly. "I just... I spend a lot of time thinking about you generally so... maybe I'd figured out more than I thought."

Noelle laughed as well, "When you put it that way, what you have planned sounds fine." She stopped suddenly and pressed her hands to her cheeks, "Oh my gosh, you asked me to be your wife and we're going to Central!"

Jean's laughter nearly doubled for a moment. "I did and we are! Should I be worried that you're so surprised?"

"No, it's just starting to sink in!" Noelle giggled.

"I'm sorry I don't have a ring or anything," Jean apologized. "I've been meaning to look, but I rather suddenly ran out of time. Maybe tomorrow we can go and you can pick out whatever you like?" And he really did mean whatever.

"I'm free after work tomorrow," Noelle smiled, reaching for Jean's hand. "Unless we have a crazy patient day and a flour incident again."

"We can always play with flour later," Jean teased, reaching out to take her hand. "After all, I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities."


	2. Chapter 2

**October 5****th****, 1966**

Even though she hadn't worked in the workshop regularly since she was a teenager, there was something comforting about the sights and smells of Rockbell Auto-mail. Elicia sat in the little office with the door open so she could hear the sound of people working in the other room. Another few columns and the books for the last month would be balanced. She had been quite happy to take on the task part-time now that Winry had cut back her personal work hours. It gave Elicia something easy to do that got her out of the house sometimes and it was helpful.

It was temporary, she knew, but it would be a while before anyone else aside from Winry actually took over the business. Probably, Elicia speculated, it would remain in Winry's name until she passed. Auto-mail wasn't a job to her; it was something she loved. Though that didn't mean she enjoyed doing all the paperwork.

"Hey Aunt Elicia, working late?"

Elicia looked up and chuckled when she saw Ethan in the doorway. "Not really. Off early? What are you doing here?"

"Getting a finger adjusted," Ethan shrugged, then chuckled. "I had a patient try and bite me today. Went for the wrong hand."

"Kid huh?" _Ouch! _

Ethan nodded. "Yep. Brattiest ten-year-old I've ever seen. He's lucky he didn't break a tooth."

"That's for sure," Elicia agreed. "Could you have fixed the tooth if he had?" she asked curiously.

"Oh sure," Ethan grinned. "Though I'd have had to charge his mother for a dental procedure."

"You'd have enjoyed that wouldn't you?" Her nephew did occasionally prove to have Edward's wicked sense of humor.

"You bet I would!" Ethan grinned. "It would help pay for a good present for Trisha's birthday." Sara's daughter was turning twelve in two days.

"You have something special in mind?" Elicia asked. She and Al had already picked out presents for their great-niece.

"Well what would you get a girl who's almost a teenager and also an alchemist?" Ethan asked.

Elicia smirked. "Well Al wanted to get a present that was more for Sara and Franz; a leash."

Ethan erupted in chuckles. "Not a bad idea, though I'm pretty sure Trisha would object. No, I picked her up a couple of books on alchemy I think she'll enjoy. They're not ones Sara owns copies of yet either."

"You'll make your sister jealous," Elicia replied.

"Maybe," Ethan shrugged. "I figure she can borrow them from her daughter if she's interested. Lia got her hair supplies; decorative ties and scarves and things," he added with a slight roll of his eyes. He was still smiling though.

Elicia looked back down at the figures in front of her. "Given how long Trisha's hair is getting, and how much she enjoys playing with it, that's a great gift." Naturally Ethan wouldn't have ever considered that kind of present.

Ethan looked slightly abashed. "I guess it is. You'd think by now I'd be used to getting women gifts right?"

"Sometimes it's hard to cross coordinate mother gifts, sister gifts, daughter gifts and such and figure out what applies to which ages," Elicia smiled kindly. "At least buying for the boys in our family is easy. The majority of you are alchemists."

"Though what do you do when we all have the same things and nothing left to buy?" Ethan challenged.

Elicia shrugged. "I don't know. When that actually happens, I'll tell you."

**October 7****th****, 1966**

There were days that Sara wished there was less yard work to do at home, and then days like this when she was grateful for the large yard around their home. Her daughter's twelfth birthday party was a large and raucous one. Trisha wasn't one of the _popular_kids, but she did have a lot of friends she had wanted to invite and school friends on top of the family always made for a big party.

Decoration amounted to blue and purple balloons on the fence and a purple paper tablecloth on the table loaded down with food. Sara had solved the seating dilemma by laying out picnic blankets for all the kids, freeing up lawn chairs for adults. At the age of twelve, Trisha and her friends weren't into really silly party games – thank goodness – but they liked having the radio blaring music and goofing off on the trampoline they had bought the kids that summer.

"I think that was well bought," Franz chuckled about an hour into the party when the kids were still bouncing and laughing and causing minimal ruckus.

"I'll say," Sara agreed. "I just hope it's as popular when they're all teenagers."

"Would it have been with you and your friends?" Franz asked as he set a plate of freshly cooked burgers on the table and kissed her cheek.

Sara smiled. "Yeah, it would have." That was a relief. Of course, that didn't entirely exclude activities that might not have freaked her Dad out anyway, but that would have been when she was in her later teen years. Come to think of it, her Dad hadn't freaked when he'd caught her making out with Mars once. _I'm not sure I'd be that cool._ She supposed she'd have to wait and see. For now, she was just happy to watch her not-quite-teen-yet daughter in twin braided tails running around having a good time.

* * *

"Thanks for the new notebook, Roy," Trisha smiled as she dropped down next to her friend with a slice of cake on her plate. "I love the leather cover. It'll be fantastic for my notes."

Her friend smiled half-heartedly. "I'm glad you like it." He looked back down at his cake and poked it with his fork.

"I thought you liked triple chocolate raspberry fudge," Trisha chuckled, though she had the feeling it wouldn't do a whole lot of good. Her friend hadn't been quite the same since his father had been… well ill was the easiest way to put it. He'd been gone for months in Xing.

"It's good, really," Roy replied. "I'm just not really hungry. I had a couple of burgers earlier you know?"

"So you're saying you're too full for our favorite flavor," she kept it up. "Wow, I didn't think you ever got full."

"Very funny." Roy looked slightly embarrassed.

Trisha smiled sympathetically. "Still worried about your Dad?"

"No!" he replied with too much vehemence. "I don't care if he ever comes home."

"You don't mean that," Trisha frowned. She knew her friend was upset about what happened, but it was the first time he'd said something like that.

Roy shook his head. "Grandpa was a hero. Dad's a complete embarrassment! I mean, I kind of feel sorry for him, but I still can hardly believe he'd do that! And everyone seems to have forgiven him so easily, after he treated all of us like crap." He shook his head and stabbed his cake with his fork.

"He wasn't himself though, right?" Trisha asked. "Grandpa told me that sometimes people's heads get messed up, and they can't fix it by themselves."

Roy looked like he wanted to argue, but he shrugged instead. "Yeah, that's what Grandma told me, and your Grandpa's pretty smart." He took a bite of the cake. "So I guess they've got to be right. But they didn't see him when he just… lost it."

Trisha reached over and gave him a hug around the shoulders. He had told her about that night before. She hoped that, someday, he'd be able to get over it, or forget some of it. "It'll be okay. Hey, you know what we forgot," she smiled.

"What?" he looked up at her in confusion.

Trisha held up her plate. "Ice cream!"

* * *

"So how's Maes?" Ed asked Riza as they stood to one side, watching the kids play and eat and the other guests mingling.

"Doing better," she smiled. "Still no word yet on when they're coming home, but I talked to him this week on the phone. He sounds like himself again."

"The sane version I take it," Ed commented.

Riza nodded. "Very much so. Humbled, but sensible. He and Elena seem to be doing better than they have in a long time."

"I'm glad to hear it." Ed knew only too well how destructive and painful it was to have someone in a family completely fall apart. The guilt from that would probably never completely go away. "They're really good about helping with that kind of stuff in Xing."

"You would know," Riza smiled before her expression turned more serious. "Edward, there's something I'd like to ask you to do."

"A request or an order?" Ed joked, wondering what she meant.

"I'm asking if you would please teach Roy alchemy."

His mouth fell open. "I… is that all right?" From what he had heard, part of Maes' explosion had been related to his son's desire to learn alchemy.

"I talked it over with Maes and Elena," Riza replied. "Maes' objection is to Roy learning Flame alchemy specifically. An objection I completely agree with." She sighed. "But if he doesn't have a teacher, I'm sure he'll try and learn on his own, and I'd rather he have the guidance of someone with the experience to give him the guidance he needs, and also the firm kick in the pants he'll probably need a few times along the way."

The last part amused him, just a little. "Well I'm flattered, of course, but are you sure you want me to do it?" Ed could think of a lot of more patient teachers. That and teachers who traveled less. He and Winry were back and forth to Resembool a lot more now than they ever had been before. "Sara might be a better choice."

"And we all trust her to keep an eye on him," Riza nodded. "But, I think you'd be best for it Edward. Roy practically idolizes his Grandfather. He thinks of my Roy as a hero and the greatest alchemist who may have ever lived. If Roy had survived… I know he would have asked his Grandfather to teach him even before he asked Maes."

A sad truth, but it made sense. What kid wouldn't have wanted to learn from Roy Mustang? _Well, besides me. _"So I'm the next best thing."

"Basically, yes," Riza replied. "You are as much of a hero and a legend as the Flame Alchemist, but also accessible, because you're his best friend's Grandfather. He actually respects you, and fears you a little. Both are important."

Both would help keep him in line. Though another thought came to Ed. "Maes' alchemy hasn't come back has it?" he guessed.

Riza sighed and shook her head. "Only some. He says it's not like he's just forgotten it, it's more like his mind won't access some of that information. Things that should be obvious aren't, and they just won't stick with him even when he's looked it up recently. The doctors say that kind of mental block can't just be removed either."

Ed had been without alchemy more than once in his life. By choice or by the difference in the nature of the world; but he couldn't imagine having that knowledge pulled from his head. He'd never lost it. "That's got to be tough."

"You think it's horrible don't you?" Riza smirked at him sadly. "While it is… I think he also finds it a relief. He's no longer a State Alchemist, and he didn't get kicked out for misconduct. There's no shame in a medical discharge, and no one has to know what the condition was. He's free to find another path in life without the pressure of being his father's son."

"Does he have any idea what he wants to do instead?" Ed couldn't resist asking. He didn't want to pry too much into another family's affairs… but this was Riza.

"Not yet," she shook her head. "Though Elena said he's enjoying the sparring he's allowed to do and looking around when they explore the city. Perhaps he'll find a new interest."

Ed remembered his own recovery, and couldn't help chuckling. "If nothing else, I'd take bets he's found a new interest in his wife."

Riza chuckled. "That's the feeling I got too. They both sound much happier. So," she looked at him. "You'll do it?"

Ed nodded. "Sure, I'll teach him. At least, I'll offer when I think it's a good time." He had very little doubts as to the kid's determination and likely natural ability. "As long as you don't mind Sara overseeing him when I'm not in town."

"I have no objections," Riza smiled. "Roy never dares to misbehave around Trisha."

"I've noticed that." Ed glanced over at the two, who were deep in conversation over cake. They were as close as Sara and Maes had been at that age. Which could be a good thing or bad depending on how it turned out. For now, watching the young man smile despite his recent family drama, he'd consider it a good thing.

**October 9****th****, 1966**

"Wow, that was amazing Mom!" Niam grinned across the dining room table.

"Isn't her cooking always amazing?" Breda asked with a teasing grin as he wiped his mouth.

"Well, yeah," Niam agreed. "But that doesn't mean I can't say so right?"

"Of course not," Nancy smiled, obviously pleased. "Though with praise like that I'd expect you to have eaten more."

"Not this week," Niam shook his head. "We've got our last big game at the end of the week! Don't forget. You said you'd come see it."

"Oh we wouldn't miss it," Breda promised. His son had gotten a sports scholarship to college, and Breda was all for that! He was glad Niam had stayed in town and started at the university there in Central that fall. Having both kids gone wasn't something he was ready for. Not just yet. Niam had moved into the dormitories, but he came home for dinner at least two or three nights a week still.

Nancy nodded. "Of course we won't. Though does that mean I should scale back on the dinner I had planned for your birthday tomorrow?"

"Oh…" Niam paused in the middle of setting down his napkin. "Well no, of course not. I'd never miss a birthday dinner," he grinned. "I just hadn't thought about it. It's just us?"

From the look on his face, Breda suspected his son might have had other plans in mind. "Unless you wanted to go out with friends." College boys did that; and Niam had an entire college baseball team of friends to hang out with.

"Not really," Niam shook his head. "I mean, I didn't have plans to hang out or anything with the guys but… do you mind one more for dinner?"

Nancy chuckled. "This _someone_ wouldn't happen to be a new girlfriend would it?"

Niam's cheeks went as red as his hair as he smiled. "Well, yeah. We've been going out for a couple of months and I thought we might do something tomorrow. Can she come for dinner?"

A new girlfriend; Breda grinned. "You gonna tell us anything about her first?"

"Oh, sure," Niam said, looking embarrassed. "Her name's Denise. She's pitcher for the Softball Team and she plays violin in the University orchestra."

"So she's musically talented and athletic," Breda grinned. "I bet she's hot."

"Well of course she is!" Niam exclaimed.

"Or you wouldn't be dating her?" Nancy asked with one loaded eyebrow arch.

"Well… no," Niam replied. "I mean she's Denise, so of course she's gorgeous. Besides, there's nothing wrong with asking out girls that are good looking."

"I'm teasing you," Nancy relaxed and smiled.

"Cruelly," Breda snickered. "No guy asks out a girl he's not attracted to. What does she look like?" He asked his son.

"Besides hot?" Niam asked, relaxing. "She's a brunette."

Breda looked over at Nancy, whose hair was still mostly the same thick rich brown it had been when they met – the silver hints just made it lovelier. "He must be my son. He's got excellent taste."

**October 15****th****, 1966**

Jean entered Central Headquarters for the first time with a mixed feeling of excitement and trepidation. This was it! He had new orders to carry out, a new commanding officer to follow, and a new rank to live up to. The paperwork in his pocket told him to report to Colonel Franz Heimler in regards to his new assignment.

That name didn't mean a whole lot to Jean – though it sounded familiar – until he was informed that Colonel Heimler was to be found in General Breda's offices. _What have I gotten myself in for? _

General Breda's offices were definitely large, but surprisingly low-key. Jean relaxed as he looked around and was pointed towards a desk where a dark-haired Colonel in glasses was scribbling away furiously on something. "Excuse me, Colonel Heimler?"

The Colonel looked up. "That's me. What do you need?"

Jean held out his transfer orders. "First Lieutenant Jean Stevens reporting for duty, Sir."

Colonel Heimler took the paperwork and looked it over. "I've been expecting you," he nodded. "Good. Everything looks in order, and you have excellent timing. Things have been very busy."

"Thank you, Sir." Jean saluted then relaxed when the Colonel did not seem inclined to bark at him for taking more than two seconds to do so.

A minute later Heimler looked up again, and stood. "All right. Let me give you the brief tour and rundown on what's going on here, and then we'll get you right to work."

The tour didn't take long. It consisted of a quick once through Breda's offices – except the General's office itself since he was in a meeting – and then how to get to the Mess Hall, the Gymnasium, and most of the main conference rooms. He got a few curious glances, but all in all Jean felt mostly ignored in such a large place. Western Headquarters was big, so was Northern Headquarters, but not_ this_ big!

"What you need to know," Heimler explained about the job, "Is that General Breda is planning to retire in the next few months, and the duties are currently in transition to Lieutenant General Hal Brewster. A lot of our staff has also retired after many years of service and other officers – like you – are being brought in to take positions in the office. Brewster of course does have some of his own staff, but there aren't enough of them to fill every job."

"I'm happy to be of help, Colonel," Jean replied as they returned to the office. "What will I be doing?" He was getting more and more curious about it.

Heimler chuckled. "For now, a lot of paperwork."

Jean smiled back. "Somehow, I expected that, Sir."

As they reentered the office, General Breda's door opened and the two Generals in question stepped out.

"Thanks, Breda," the other General – Brewster, Jean guessed – grinned as they moved towards them. "Anything else you need today?"

"Lunch," General Breda chuckled. Jean didn't have to guess that the stocky red-and-gray haired man was the famous General. He'd seen his picture too many times, and the man himself during the war. General Breda turned towards them then, smiled, and then stopped dead and stared at him in shock. "Shit."

Not the best reaction. General Brewster was looking at him curiously.

Heimler looked between them. "General Breda, General Brewster, I'd like to introduce you to First Lieutenant Jean Stevens, the new transfer into the office. He just arrived."

Jean remembered himself then and saluted smartly.

Breda was still staring at him as if he didn't believe his eyes. "Jean…" Then he shook his head. "Stevens, right. I got a memo you were coming. Sorry," he offered a hand to shake, "You just looked a damned lot like someone I used to know."

Then it hit him…. _General Breda knew Grandpa. _"It's all right, Sir," Jean assured him, taking the offered hand and shaking it heartily. "I'm told my father and I both look a lot like my Grandfather."

General Breda's hand paused. "You're named after him."

Jean nodded. "Yes, Sir. Actually more than you think. I'm Jean Havoc Stevens. Havoc was Dad's middle name."

General Breda still looked dumbfounded. "Havoc never had children."

Jean felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Sir, but that's not true. My father is his son. Grandma had a…thing… with Jean Havoc when he was still a Lieutenant. It was already over and she was seeing Grandpa Dave when she was able to track him down and tell him about Dad. The way I understand it they wanted to just keep it quiet."

The three officers all seemed thoroughly intrigued by his story. Jean hadn't ever realized his father's existence was so… strange. Women had flings with soldiers all the time, didn't they? "That lasted until Dad wanted to know why he didn't look anything like Grandpa Dave or Mom," Jean replied. He might as well give the short explanation now. "They didn't get along great anyway, and Mom told him about Grandpa Jean. Dad was already fifteen by then I think. So he looked him up."

"Did you ever meet him?" General Breda asked softly.

"When I was really little, before he died," Jean nodded. "He came to my third birthday."

"He never mentioned either of you." The General's voice was a little hoarse. "Though I… guess I can understand why."

"Probably out of respect for Grandma," Jean replied. "And he got married later, so probably for her too. Having a bastard isn't exactly good for an officer's rep right?"

No one contradicted the statement. "Well," General Breda finally cleared his throat and spoke up again. "Welcome aboard Lieutenant Stevens. I'm sure we can expect good work out of you." He hesitated one more time. "You don't smoke do you?"

Jean's nose wrinkled. "No, Sir. It's a nasty habit. Never could stand the smell."

At that, the General snorted a laugh. "Had to check. Good luck around here, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, Sir."

The Generals moved past them, and Jean didn't relax until they'd left the room. Now, everyone else was looking at him from their desks.

"You can breathe, Lieutenant," Heimler commented with a reassuring smile.

Jean hadn't realized he hadn't been. He took a deep breath. "I didn't think about anyone here recognizing my face as his." He probably should have, but Jean Havoc had been dead for years.

"General Breda and Colonel Havoc were close friends," Heimler explained. "They worked in Mustang's office together from even before General Mustang was ever transferred to Central as a Colonel. They had a long history. I bet finding out his friend had a kid he knew about and never mentioned is probably a shock."

Jean felt a moment of guilt. There had to have been a better time and place for that conversation. It was too late now. "I guess I should expect more of that."

"Probably not quite as dramatic now that the General knows," Heimler assured him, "Though all of Colonel Havoc's friends will probably find out before long. Most of them are retired. It won't become widely known if you don't want it to." He gave a sharp glare around the office, and Jean noticed the other officers look down at their paperwork. No one in a General's office lasted long with loose lips.

"That's probably best," Jean agreed, regaining his composure. "So, Colonel, you have any nice, boring paperwork for me?" _I bet Noelle laughs at me when she hears this._

Heimler grinned. "I'm sure I can come up with something."


	3. Chapter 3

**October 27****th****, 1966**

It was one of those brisk, beautifully colorful late-fall days that were perfect for a nice long stroll and then maybe stopping for coffee with a pretty girl and putting your coat around her shoulders as the evening got chillier.

Too bad Tore was walking alone. He'd have liked that scenario so much better than strolling by himself through the last open market of the year before the weather got too bad and the merchants and vendors moved back indoors. He liked the outdoor markets. Especially on days like this, when they were rife with all the fruits of the nearby country harvests, and everything was a riot of color.

People were smiling. Children laughed and dodged through the crowds. Dogs on leashes watched them longingly, or sniffed each other. Families, couples, friends… everyone was there enjoying the day with someone else.

Tore stopped to contemplate a brilliant red and orange scarf at a shop. His current one was getting pretty ragged and it was getting cooler out. The price was decent. Maybe. He'd come back if he decided to buy from that vendor. There were two or three he'd be fine with.

_When did my enjoyment get so wrapped up in being with someone else? _He used to like doing things alone. Tore had thought he still did.

He was contemplating turning up a side street when he spotted hair – and a backside – he could swear he knew. He rarely forgot a woman… from any angle. But there was no way, right? She didn't live in Central. But…. No, from a momentary side view he was almost sure of it. Prepared to get smacked if he was wrong, he moved closer. "Noelle?"

Noelle turned from a table full of apples and blinked in surprise, "Oh my gosh, Tore?"

It was her! Tore smiled, feeling suddenly awkward, despite being surprised at how good it was to see her face. It was even prettier than he remembered. "Yeah. I live here, remember?" he chuckled. "It's… it's good to see you." Would she feel the same… maybe he should have thought of that first. The brief elation faded.

Noelle's smile was huge. "It's been a long time since I've heard from you, since you suddenly just stopped writing. Not that you wrote a lot, but what am I saying? I'm glad to see you again! How have you been doing?"

Could she…not be mad? Maybe his luck hadn't abandoned him after all. "Yeah I… sorry about that. I had a, well a girlfriend for a while and she was kind of the bitchy jealous type."

"Ouch," Noelle looked sympathetic. "I can see how that would be rather awkward, if you were writing to some strange girl."

"You're not strange." Tore couldn't help smiling. Talking to her was just so easy. "But yeah, she was sort of that way about all my female friends. It didn't last."

Noelle's look softened, "Are you still getting over her?" Then she blushed and looked away, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that. That was rather insensitive."

"What? Oh no!" Tore shook his head. "I mean, it was over months ago. I've been… well a bit at loose ends, but I don't regret ending it."

"That's good," Noelle smiled. "I mean, that means you can move on, right? Find another special someone?"

That… wow that sounded like an opening. Maybe he should ask her out?

"Noelle!" Another man's voice came out of the crowd, and Tore turned to find a tall, blond guy coming through the crowd carrying a couple of shopping bags. "There you are. Did I bore you at the book shop?" He winked as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Of course not," Noelle giggled. "But I was hungry and these apples looked good! I thought you might like some apple pie one last time while the apples were still fresh. Oh Jean, this is Tore, an old friend. Tore, this is my fiancé."

A cold rock hit Tore in the pit of his stomach. Suddenly he was glad he hadn't asked her out. She was engaged! "That's…great." He recovered quickly and offered the other man – Jean – a hand. "Tore Closson, Shock Alchemist. Nice to meet you." He definitely looked military, which would explain why Noelle was in Central.

Jean grinned. "First Lieutenant Jean Stevens. Likewise. So you're the Tore Noelle told me about."

"What did she say?" Tore wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Jean shrugged. "Just that you were a friend."

Noelle laughed, "What did you expect me to say? It's the truth."

Well he was rather glad Jean hadn't been told that they'd had a brief fling. Most guys weren't too keen on being friendly with their girl's ex-lover. Tore smiled. What else could he do? "Yeah, it is. So I guess you're living here in town now."

"We just got here a couple of weeks ago and I love it so far!" Noelle gushed. "We're still getting used to where everything is but everyone I've met so far has been nice. We even found a nice place for the wedding!"

Wow, she really didn't wait did she? But then, why would Tore have expected anything less from Noelle. She was enthusiastic and passionate about most things. The man she was marrying certainly ought to be one of them. "That's great," he smiled. "When are you getting married?"

"The last Sunday in December," Noelle answered with a loving look towards Jean. "I wanted sooner rather than later since I feel like I've made Jean wait long enough already."

Jean chuckled and slipped an arm around her shoulders. "For you I'd wait forever, but I appreciate that I don't have to."

They were perfect together. That much was obvious. "Well I'm sure it'll be beautiful." The smile felt cemented to his face. As much as he was sorry to lose out on Noelle, her happiness was more important than his loneliness. It was his own fault. "You have great taste after all."

Noelle blushed at the compliment. "You just remember the good taste of my cooking," she laughed.

"Are you saying you don't dress well?" Tore countered, chuckling.

"A girl does what she can," Noelle sighed dramatically. "Speaking of dressing, we still need to find yarn to make new winter scarves this year! Know of any good places?"

Because, of course, State Alchemists knew everything about yarn. Fortunately for Tore, he paid attention, and Lia still did a lot of knitting. "There's a yarn and quilt supply store on the next block, just that way," he pointed down the way to his left. "I'm told they have the best selection in the city."

"Thank you! I've been meaning to get out and look for a good shop but between unpacking, settling in and planning a wedding, well some things just get put on hold for a while," Noelle said excitedly. "Maybe they'll have a pretty light blue!"

"Or something that will go with my uniform," Jean winked. "I guess we ought to go then. Nice to meet you, Closson. See you around."

"Sure. You too." He probably would run into him or see him at HQ, Tore realized.

"Did you want a new scarf?" Noelle asked on impulse. "Since I'm going to be making us some it would be no problem to make another. The one you have right now looks pretty beat up."

The one he was wearing… was the one she had given him in Buzcoul, he suddenly remembered. "Oh, sure, thanks," he smiled. "I was actually shopping for one today, but I haven't seen anything I really like yet."

"Then what do you like? Solid? Stripes? Zigzags? I'm pretty handy with knitting needles, so I'm pretty sure I could even do a flower pattern for you," Noelle said with a wicked grin.

"Oh, stripes are fine," Tore replied. He had forgotten just how quickly she jumped on a project. "How about in blue and red?"

"Military blue and Fullmetal red?" Noelle was still grinning. "I'll have it done for you in no time!"

Well, he supposed so. "Sure," Tore agreed.

"Come on, Noelle," Jean chuckled. "We don't want to keep him standing around all day. I'm sure Tore has better things to be doing than discussing yarn, and you need to get there before they sell out. I'm sure Amestris blue is a popular color." He turned to Tore. "I work in Breda's office."  
Breda's… Tore had heard of this guy. "Wait… you're _that_ Stevens."

Jean just rolled his eyes and kept smiling. "I see you've heard of me."

"I do know the two Colonels Heimler," Tore pointed out with a chuckle. "So yeah."

"Good, then you'll have no trouble finding me or I you to get you this scarf when Noelle gets it finished."

"It's settled," Noelle announced. "We'll see you around then?" She asked with a hopeful look.

"Of course," Tore replied. He liked Noelle, and Jean seemed cool enough with him. He wasn't going to reject continued friendship when it was offered just because the girl had chosen to marry someone else. If they were willing to hang out, he certainly wasn't going to turn them down. "I'll see you around. Have a good afternoon."

"You too!" Noelle gave him a wave as she turned away with Jean.

Tore watched them go, then, trying not to feel too sorry for himself, he turned and headed up the street in the other direction towards the soda shop. He didn't want to interrupt their day, and was grateful that the meeting had not been too awkward. Still, he could use a chocolate shake.

**November 5****th****, 1966**

Cal tried not to sniffle too much as he opened the door and went into the house. Why today, of all days, did he have to come down with this miserable head cold? Not that it was a particularly bad day for it; any day would have been a bad day for it. _Man, all I want is a hot shower and a nap. _He'd been dragging all day. Alyse's coat on the hook told him his wife was home. Thank goodness; what he wouldn't give for a little attention tonight.

He dropped his uniform jacket across the back of the couch and pitched forward onto it. _Thank you, whoever invented couch cushions. Ohhh, my head. _"Lyse?" he groaned out after a minute, coughing and sneezing. "Can I have a cup of coffee?"

His request was met with no reply except one of the cats poking his black and white whiskered face up over the corner. "Neerrow?"

"Great….hey Tux… can you fetch your mistress?"

Tux batted at Cal's nose with his paw, and vanished. His gray-and-white counterpart, Lace, was lounging on the chair.

_I didn't think I was going to have luck with that one._ Cal didn't mind Alyse's cats, but sometimes he wished they were trained to do the things a dog could. It took all of his will to drag himself back up off the couch. Alyse was here… so where was she? He headed to the stairs that led up to the bedrooms. "Alyse?" About half way up the stairs he realized the shower was running. _Dumb cold is stuffing up my ears. _

As he reached the bedroom door the water switched off in the master bathroom. "Cal?" he heard her voice as the door clicked shut behind him. "You home?" He immediately sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, it's me," he replied.

"Oh thank goodness," she sighed, stepping out of the bathroom in her silky peach bathrobe, gently toweling her hair. "Could you make dinner?"

"I thought you were cooking tonight," Cal looked up, surprised.

Alyse looked guilty. "I was going to but… I've had really horrible cramps all afternoon and all I really want to do is lay down."

Cal looked at her sorry expression, and couldn't help a half-coughed chuckle. "And here I was hoping the same thing." He sniffed and reached for a tissue.

"You don't look too hot," Alyse admitted as she sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, one hand resting on her lower mid-section. "And I feel like my insides are burning. What a pair," she sighed.

Cal blew his nose with one hand and put his other arm around Alyse's shoulders. He knew she got cramps every month, but this seemed a little worse than usual. "Yeah. I thought we were supposed to feel like crap one at a time," he chuckled. "So… how do we figure this out?"

"Flip a coin?" Alyse suggested. "Or split the difference."

Cal could do that. Alyse had taken care of him so often when he was healing up, that the few times he'd been able to take care of her seemed scantily few. She was in pain; didn't that make it his turn to be the hero? "Tell you what," he grunted. "You lie down. Let me get a shower in to clear out my head, and I'll see about putting on hot water and we can cheat tonight."

"Cheat?" Alyse looked up at him hopefully.

"Yeah," Cal grinned. "Is there anything wrong with ordering in?" It wasn't something they did often. Alyse preferred to cook, and picking up take-out saved the small delivery charge. Tonight though seemed like a perfectly good excuse.

Alyse smiled and kissed his cheek. "I think you're a genius."

"Well I'm not gonna argue," Cal grinned smugly. "So what do you prefer tonight, Xingese or Cretan?"

**November 20****th****, 1966**

The right time to talk to Roy turned out to be the evening Edward and Winry went over to dine at Riza's. Edward had wanted to wait long enough so that Roy wouldn't suspect his grandmother of having much input into Ed's deciding he wanted to take Roy on as a student. Not that the kid might not figure it out anyway, but it gave Ed long enough to consider the idea to almost convince himself it was his own.

Almost. It still felt strange to be the man who would be training the next Roy Mustang to be an alchemist. He had to admit it was kind of ironic, but he also felt a responsibility to make sure the kid turned okay.

He waited until after dinner, when Winry and Riza were chatting, and Rochelle and Théa were quietly playing dolls up in the room they were living in while their parents were out of town. They had Maes' old room, and Roy was in the guest room.

Not that Roy spent much time upstairs. Ed watched him wash the dishes and then head outside with Riza's dogs.

After a few minutes, Ed followed. Roy was putting all three of the current dogs through their paces with tricks. Unsurprisingly, they were perfectly well behaved. _Too bad people don't train as easily as dogs. We might be better off in some ways. _

It took a minute for Roy to notice him. "Do you want something?"

"Yeah," Ed nodded, leaning on the railing. "I wanted to talk to you. Do you mind?"

Roy looked confused, then resigned, as if he expected a lecture or some kind of man-to-not-really-a-man talk. "Sure." He released the dogs from their sit command and came up on the deck. "What did you want to talk about?"

Ed got straight to the point. "Alchemy."

Roy's eyes got wide. "Does… Grandma know?"

Perceptive. "I have her permission," Ed replied. "I wanted to know if you wanted to become my student."

The boy's eyes got so wide they looked like they might pop. "I ah… you're serious?"

"You think I'd do this kind of thing for a joke?" Ed asked.

"Well no! Of course not, Fullmetal…. Sir I…" Roy stammered. "Yes!" He finally blurted. "Yes I'd like to be your student."

"I don't know Flame Alchemy," Ed pointed out, though he noted the boy's enthusiasm. "But I can teach you a lot of other things. Though if you want me to be your Teacher, there are some rules you're going to have to follow."

"Oh I know about those," Roy replied, almost bouncing on his heels, though clearly trying manfully not to look like a boy. "You mean exercising, and training, and following orders and studying hard right?"

"Well that," Ed nodded, "But that's not all. Winry and I travel a lot, but you're still in school. So when I'm in town, we'll do a lot of training, and if I'm out of town during the summer, you can come with me sometimes. But when I'm not here, you're going to have to treat the Twilight Alchemist with the same respect and follow her orders while I'm gone. You'll also have to promise that you won't practice active transmutations unsupervised until you're a more advanced alchemist; which means, _until I say so_."

To his credit, Roy took several seconds to think it over. "Yes," he replied. "I still want to be your alchemy student. When do we start?"

"As soon as school gets out for the winter holiday," Ed smiled. He was sure studying alchemy with Trisha definitely entered into the kid's thought processes. "So be ready to do some serious studying over the break too, all right?"

Roy's face lit up in a way Ed hadn't seen in a long time. "Yes, Sir!"

* * *

_Author's Note: _Finis. As usual, new story begins next time, no waiting! Thanks to all of you who are enjoying reading!


End file.
